The present invention relates to a catheter comprising an elongate tube having a proximal tube portion and a distal tube portion, the distal tube portion forming a catheter tip.
A catheter is a tube which is by a part of its length introduced into the body to establish a liquid or gas connection allowing medicants to be supplied to the body or liquids to be removed therefrom, inter alia. When used for such purposes, the tube has to fulfill special requirements. For instance, the tube must have sufficient stiffness to be advanced into the body. On the other hand, the tip of the catheter must have a suitable degree of softness for precluding injuries to blood vessels or other parts of the body.
EP 0 437 291 B1 describes a known method for producing a soft catheter tip wherein, internally of the catheter tube, a tip of a material of larger softness than the catheter material is molded to the tube. The catheter tip tapers towards the distal end. In this manner, a catheter is obtained whose catheter tip is soft, thus avoiding the risk of inner injuries.
Known from EP 0 452 123 B1 is a catheter comprising a radiopaque halogenated polyurethane. This catheter can comprise a plurality of different materials.
An in-dwelling vein catheter having a conical tip is known from EP 0 523 928 A2. This in-dwelling catheter which is set in the patient's body with the aid of an inserted steel cannula, is made from polyurethane. This material is biocompatible and is commercially available as an optically transparent radiopaque material. The material presents a smooth surface and offers high resistance to buckling.
Catheters with a soft tip are also used in the puncture of central veins. The soft tip is provided to reduce perforations of veins and injuries to the intima. A further application for catheters with soft tips is in epidural anesthesia in order to reduce the occurrence of injuries to vessels or the dura and of paresthesia. In cardiology, use is made of catheters with differently shaped tips so as to be suited to enter the variously shaped veins and arteries.